Thank you. I understand there are some who will take advantage of any situation. I won't say that I have not requested a day off for military reasons that was not canceled short notice. Depending on the situation, sometimes it is not possible to just "take back" the day. I try not to take more military leave than I have to. As much as possible I try to work my military obligation around my full time job. Some things are flexible and some are not. Not every thing we do generates orders, although any event will generate a pay document.

What most people do not realize, is that for an aviator, "One weekend a month and two weeks a year" is just not the truth. In the Army reserve components (Reserves and Guard), we have the same minimum flight hours as the active component. Works out to an average of nearly 10 hours a month. The "one weekend a month" is usually spent fulfilling a lot of the same training the ground guys do. Some worthwhile, some not so much. If we are lucky, we will get one flight for a few hours in a weekend. That means we have to do the rest of our flying throughout the month. Many units will let you split your "two weeks a year" into several shorter chunks. Some can not, depending on the units mission and need. I average four to six days a month wearing the uniform. Yes, it is a choice I made and yes, we get compensated for those extra days, but it is still quite the balancing act.

On top of all the "regular" stuff, we have schools. My aviation training for one job usually enhances the other, but I still don't get "credit" for it. I fly King Airs for my civilian and military job. I have rarely done it in a simulator identical to what I actually fly, but neither one counts for the other. The schools and training we do are usually less flexible than our drill and additional flight periods. Sometimes they can count towards our "two weeks" and sometimes not.

These forums are a great source of information. Many thanks to all the people who spend time providing others with VALUABLE information. What amazes me is that that sometimes 75% of the posts are people spouting off and making obnoxious comments to others, distracting from the thread. I am more than happy to help out another, but I only WISH I had the time some people spend bashing others.

I suppose I should have been more specific with my question.

Not knowing the whole bidding and scheduling process, do you have to drop a whole trip if it affects a required military day? How does it affect your minimums for the month? Both on reserve and as a line holder? How far out do you know your schedule or have to make the request? I guess a follow up question would include the same information about a sick day. (Obviously one can't "schedule" a sick day.)

Thanks